Text provided by architects.
On an area of six hectares, the project envisages the construction of 60,000 m2 of residential and commercial space and the expansion of the Grimaldi Forum; there will also be public facilities, a busy port, a one-hectare park, extensive public spaces with a central square, pedestrian paths and a promenade on the waterfront, which will provide access to the quarter along its entire perimeter. Particular attention is paid to the integration of the quarter into the landscape and urban planning context of the Principality of Monaco, as well as environmental issues: the preservation of the marine ecosystem, existing buildings and landscape. Various eco-certifications are planned, including BREEAM.
Valode & Pistre architects are responsible for the development of the master plan, infrastructure design and improvement of public spaces, the central quarter "Water Garden", as well as the quarter "Holm", where new exhibition halls for the Grimaldi Forum will appear. Valode & Pistre's partners in this project are Renzo Piano, who is involved in the Port Quarter project, Michel Devigne, who is in charge of landscape design, and the architect Alexandre Giraldi (Monaco).
The project is located in a unique location: it is a natural deep-water bay, protected by Le Roche (Monaco-Ville) and surrounded by mountains that descend into the sea. Port Hercule ("Hercules") is a reference to the mythological aspect of the history of this Mediterranean region. At the same time, Monaco is a modern, densely built urban area, inscribed in the natural landscape; its buildings climb high up the mountain slopes. Considering the very limited area of the principality, there can be only two ways of development: upward to the sky, or downward to the sea.
A project such as the extension of the coastline in the Anse du Portier region has serious goals. The adopted design decisions were dictated by the desire to answer the following tasks: to fit the project into the urban and natural context, to take into account the peculiarities of the landscape, as well as the Portier quarter and its location on the coast.
The expansion of the coastline is human intervention in the natural environment. However, the concept of the project is based on the fact that the territory reclaimed from the sea is perceived as natural. The project provides for the creation of two ecosystems - terrestrial, on a new land area, and marine - in the coastal zone of the sea. In response to the Mediterranean and Monegasque context, the shoreline extension technology includes the creation of a large dam of reinforced concrete caissons, which will be manufactured in France and delivered to the construction site by sea. The creek created in this way is then filled with soil, which is also delivered by water transport. All this allows work to be carried out without prejudice to the adjacent part of the sea. The new coastline follows the curve of the isobath at 30 meters below sea level, thus recreating the natural landscape and supporting the existing currents that provide oxygen to the underwater flora and fauna. Particular attention is paid to the preservation of the Larvotto protected area, where the oceanic Posidonia meadow is located, as well as the wash-outs near the Spelyuga reef; measures have been taken to promote the development of fauna and flora. In the center of the platform created in this way, with an area of about six hectares, an elevation - a hill will be organized. Such a relief will give naturalness to the new bend of the coastline. It is supposed to be planted with numerous pines, and at their foot - to create thickets typical for the region - maquis.
The new district will be diverse in its functions. Villas will be located on the coast, following the example of the first urban buildings on the Riviera, and behind them will gradually rise residential buildings of higher storeys, facing the sea. At the foot of the hill, it is planned to place the exhibition halls of the nearby Grimaldi Forum. The southern part will end with a marina. This yacht port will become a new center of attraction for the principality, around which restaurants and shops will be located. The most "nautical" part of the project will be a large residential building on piles, which is planned to be built between the port and the sea. His project was created by the Renzo Piano bureau. The style of the buildings combines the latest trends in modern architecture and Mediterranean traditions. Balconies, terraces, hanging gardens, pergolas, blinds and ponds are evidence of this. The area, which will become the Portier as a result of the expansion of the coastline, will be associated with the world of Monegasque culture, but at the same time will become an example of modern urban development. Delivery of the project is scheduled for 2025.
The area of the Principality of Monaco at the moment: 202 hectares
Extension of the coastline: 60,000 m2 of new construction on 6 hectares of land = 3% increase in the territory of Monaco
Program:
Accommodation: 14 villas - 56 apartments
+ trade, restaurants, public services and spaces, yacht port
+ 50% increase in the territory of the Grimaldi Forum
+ 1 hectare park
+ 2 km long promenade along the coast
The demand for electricity will be 40% provided by solar panels.
A protective "wall" of the new territory will be erected from 18 caissons with a height of 30 m
The weight of each caisson is 10,000 tons
Caisson production: in Fos-sur-Mer.
